Nerium oleander plant-turner&#39;s 7-678

ABSTRACT

A  Nerium oleander  plant which has a petite and upright and sprawling habit of growth, being particularly characterized by long blooming periods and the unique color of its inflorescence and its habit of growth, the flowers being a dusty rose color with areas of pale yellow in the corona or throat, and which flowers grow in cymes or clusters.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety, of petitesize, of Nerium oleander which was originated by me as a seedling byselection and crossing. I crossed a Nerium oleander ‘Turner's Carnival’with a Nerium oleander ‘Turner's Tickled Pink’. The ‘Turner's Carnival’is the subject of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,339 issued Oct. 18, 1988 to TedL. Turner, Sr., and this plant is a petite size plant which producesflowers which are soft pink in color. ‘Turner's Tickled Pink’ is thesubject of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,619 issued Aug. 13, 1991, to Ted L.Turner, Sr., and this plant is a petite size plant with flowers whichare peach-pink in color. However, in making my crosses, I observed thatpollination could have been accomplished by bees from unknown plants.Thus unknown parentage could have been introduced by the bees eventhough I did not purposely introduce any parentage other than the‘Turner's Carnival’ and ‘Turner's Tickled Pink’.

From the group of seedlings I observed a plant, being the plant claimedherein, having a new and distinct color of flowers, and from cuttings ofsuch plant I was able to asexually reproduce plants having the samecharacteristics and flower color as the original seedling. The plantobserved for this patent application had been grown in a greenhouse, wasin a five gallon container, and was about three years old. All of thedescendant plants showed the same characteristics as the originalseedling, and as a result of extensive observations and tests which arenot described in full herein for sake of brevity, it is my opinion and Iam convinced that my new plant is a new variety of Nerium oleander whichis distinguished from all other varieties of which I am aware asevidenced by the following unique combination of principalcharacteristics which are outstanding therein:

(1) An upright sprawling habit of growth and of petite size making itespecially suitable for hedges and as a pot plant, or to add gardencolor;

(2) An ability to be asexually reproduced;

(3) An ability to flower substantially throughout the year with longcontinuous blooming periods;

(4) The ability to bloom in partial shade, such as morning sun only;

(5) The ability to be a good greenhouse bloomer and bloom year around ina greenhouse;

(6) The ability to initially grow and flower in relatively small pots assmall as about eight centimeters in diameter although, the plant shouldbe placed in a larger pot of at least 30 centimeters to obtain largergrowth;

(7) The ability to produce a flower having a dusty rose color with areasof yellow in the corona;

(8) The ability to produce a plant having flowers arranged in cymes orclusters; and

(9) The ability to grow in windy conditions.

Asexual reproductions of my new variety as by cuttings shown that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The ongoingplanned breeding program which resulted in the plant described hereinand the initial asexual reproduction of this plant have taken place in anursery in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Tex.

The accompanying FIGURE is a photograph of a typical flower on the plantof my new variety more clearly illustrating the colors present on eachflower. The true color of the foliage and flowers is described in thefollowing description and is depicted in the FIGURE which depicts thecolor as nearly as true as is reasonably possible in a colorillustration of this type.

The following is a detailed description of my new variety of Neriumoleander, which color numbers are in accordance with the PantoneMatching System of colors for printing inks, Pantone Color Formula Guide747 XR, 1987-1988, published by Pantone, Inc. Terms used to describecolors are those of ordinary significance.

The Plant

-   Growth habit: Upright, sprawling, petite size; the height of an    unpruned mature plant will be from about 1.5 to 2.5 meters, but has    not yet been determined; fast growing in shady areas and slower in    full sun. The plant grows full from ground level upward, with its    width generally greater than its height, the width of the plant    being about 110% to 150% of the height. The plant is about the same    height but wider than the Nerium oleander ‘Turner's Carnival’    referenced above, and slightly smaller and more compact than the    Nerium oleander ‘Turner's Tickled Pink’ referenced above.-   Hardiness: Adapted to seaside planting as it tolerates soil with    relatively high salt content; tolerates droughts; will not withstand    prolonged and severe freezing weather; most suitable for the    Southern United States from California to Florida, in the areas    known as Zones 9 and 10; withstands heat and light and grows either    in full sun or in partial shade (up to 50% shade) such as morning    sun only; can be started and will bloom in small pots as small as    about eight centimeters in diameter, although the plant should be    transferred to a larger pot of 30 centimeters or larger to obtain a    larger growth.-   Branches: The plant is loosely branched from ground level with main    branches and branchlets slightly drooping or sprawling. The plant    does not develop a central leader or trunk. New growth of branches    is a light to medium green, Color No. 390U, changing to light    greenish brown in color, Color No. 125U, as branches mature. The old    or matured wood is a pale brown, Color No. 465U.-   Blooming period: Under outside conditions, blooms off and on    substantially the entire year, being in bloom about 80% of the time.    The plant will bloom substantially all the time in a greenhouse.

The Foliage

-   Type: Broadleaf evergreen; numerous; petioled; grow in a whorl with    three leaves in each whorl.-   Shape: Linear-lanceolate, with entire margins. Apex is more or less    acuminate and slightly non-symmetrical, and base is acute.-   Petioles: Length, from about 3 to 5 mm; color pale green, Color No.    586U.-   Leaf size: Length of mature leaf from about 110 to 140 mm; width of    mature leaf about 18 to 22 mm. Size of leaf varies according to    sunshine conditions at the time the leaf is produced, with larger    leaves being produced under cloudy conditions than under sunny    conditions.-   Venation: Midrib on under surface prominent and readily apparent and    is pale green, Color No. 586U; on upper surface midrib is clearly    visible and slightly recessed, and is pale green, Color No. 584U;    lateral veins are not readily apparent on upper surface but under    surface contains numerous, delicate, almost parallel lateral veins    which are readily apparent, the lateral veins being substantially    perpendicular to the midrib.-   Leaf color: Mature leaves: upper surface — dark green, Color No.    575C; under surface lighter in color than upper surface, being a    medium green, Color No. 5777U.-   New leaves: About the same color as mature leaves, but slightly    lighter and brighter in color than mature leaves.-   Leaf texture: Tough, leathery; smooth; upper surface — non-glossy;    lower surface — dull.

The Inflorescence

-   Position and abundance: Flowers cluster at twig or branch ends in    terminal cymes, with cymes appearing at various positions from the    lower part to the upper part of the plant. Each cyme is tightly    clustered with generally about 8 to 12 flowers each, although some    cymes may contain more or less flowers.-   Form: Single, regular; pediceled; petals united in a sympetalous    corolla; salverform; tube spreads into five limbs or lobes; each    flower is about 40 to 45 mm across; corona conspicuous at junction    of tube and spreading limb, corona about 10 to 12 mm in diameter and    a depth of about 12 mm which is much shorter than spreading limbs,    the corona having five crownlike appendages, each appendage    corresponding to a limb, most appendages being 4 toothed at their    outer ends.-   Buds: Limbs convolute in the bud, obliquely apiculate, the folds    twisting counterclockwise when viewing down onto the tip of the bud,    such the limbs of the flower twist slightly clockwise when viewing    down into the flower.-   Calyx: Of 5 persistent sepals, imbricate in the bud, lanceolate,    acuminate, about 5 mm long. The sepals have a relatively smooth    surface texture. The calyx and sepals are light green, Color No.    372U.-   Stamen: 5 stamens; filaments partly adnate to corolla tube; anthers    with 2 basal tails, apex long-attenuate, hairy. The stamens are    about 10 mm in length, with a medium yellow color, Color No. 121C.-   Pistil: The style portion of the pistil is white in color with the    outer end or stigma portion being a pale yellow color, and with the    pistil being approximately 15 mm in length.-   Color of flower: Limbs or petals of the corolla in new flowers are a    dusty rose color, Color No. 204U. As is the case with most    oleanders, blooms produced under a full sun may be lighter in shade    than those produced on cloudy days. The corona is pale yellow, being    a pale version of Color No. 127U. The outside of the corolla tube of    each flower is a dark pink, Color No. 191U with areas of golden    yellow, Color No. 120U.-   Fragrance: The flowers have no appreciable fragrance.-   Color of buds: Dark rose, Color No. 206U.

To further describe my new variety of Nerium oleander, it is verysimilar in height to the other well-known petite size Nerium oleanderswhich grow in an upright manner, except for the color of the flowers,and except that my new variety appears to be wider and more sprawling ingrowth habit. I am not aware of any Nerium oleander of a petite sizehaving a flower and growth habit which is the same as that produced bymy plant.

Variety Name

The proposed variety name of my new plant is Nerium oleander ‘Turner's7-678’.

1. A new and distinct variety of petite size Nerium oleander plant substantially as shown and described, having an upright and sprawling habit of growth making it especially suitable for hedges, having an ability to be asexually reproduced, having the ability to flower off and on throughout the entire year with long continuous blooming periods, having the ability to grow in full sun or in partial shade, being an excellent greenhouse plant, and being particularly characterized by its petite size combined with the unique color of its inflorescence and its growth habit, and having terminal cymes of flowers which are a dusty rose color with throats or coronas of a pale yellow. 